Title

Karlie's homemade cleaners

Problem Scenario

When you make your own cleaners it's cheaper than buying already made cleaners, so people would want to know how to make a cleaner that actually works.

Broad Question

Do homemade cleaners work better with different amounts of ingredients?

Specific Question

Does the ratio of soap to vinegar effect the cleaning effectiveness?

Hypothesis

The smaller the ratio of soap to vinegar the more effective it is.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:

Ratio of soap to vinegar

Dependent Variable:

The cleaning effectiveness

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

What I clean and what I clean with

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

General Plan

The same white material will be stained with the same substance. To clean the material the different cleaners will be used.To clean with a microfiber cloth will be used. The experiment will be done at the researchers house. There is no environmental concern, only vinegar and soap will be used.

Potential Problems And Solutions

Ratios could spill or get misplaced. If that would happened the ratios would be remade.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

There are none.

Experimental Design

What is your experimental unit?

A 4 inch by 4 inch piece of white t-shirt.

Number Of Trials

There are 5 trials.

Number Of Subjects In Each trial:

There are 3 subjects in each trial.

Number of Observations:

15 observations will be taken.

When data will be collected

February 9nth and 10nth

Where will data be collected?:

The data will be collected in the researchers house, more specifically their kitchen, bathroom or living room.

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Number needed	Where I will get this	Cost
white t-shirts	1	Dad's closet	0$
blue Dawn dishwashing liquid	1 bottle	cabinet	0$
white vinegar	1 bottle	cabinet	0$

Detailed Procedure

1. First mix homemade cleaning solutions by measuring the ratios of the two ingredients soap and vinegar. Make three different ratios.
2. Second trace 9 ipod touch shaped rectangles
3. Use one ingredient to stain three rectangles. Do this for three different ingredients.
4. Use one solution to clean each different ingredients. Do this with each of three ingredients.
5. Add final information to graph.

Photo List

Photos will be taken before the squares of t-shirt fabric are cleaned with the solutions.
Photos will also be taken after the squares of t-shirt fabric are cleaned.

Time Line

Data Table

Data Analysis

All Raw Data

The fruit punch was easiest to clean.
The mustard was the hardest to clean.

Graphs

Photos

Results

A rubric was made to measure the cleaning effectiveness of different ratios of soap and vinegar. Mustard, mud, and fruit punch were put on a white t-shirt and rubbed in. Then the stains dried over night. Each different ratio was used to clean each of the stains then the rubric was used to rate each ratio and it's cleaning effectiveness. The graph shows that the largest ratio of soap to vinegar had the highest cleaning effectiveness, and that the lowest ratio had the lowest cleaning effectiveness.

Conclusion

Does the ratio of soap to vinegar effect the cleaning effectiveness? Yes, the bigger ratio of soap to vinegar has more cleaning effectiveness than the lower ratios. The biggest ratio had a cleaning effectiveness of 3, 3, and 2. It's mean cleaning effectiveness is 2.6.The smallest had a cleaning effectiveness of 2, 3, and 1. It's mean cleaning effectiveness is 2.

Discussion

This experiment went exactly as planned. The data was collected and was very interesting because the hypothesis was wrong. Nothing went wrong in this experiment. Every ratio had the same cleaning effectiveness when the fruit punch was cleaned, and the fruit punch was the easiest to clean.
People would want to know how to make a homemade cleaner. Store bought cleaners have poisonous chemicals in them that are dangerous to be around.The average home can contain up to 25 gallons of toxic chemicals. Someone making a homemade cleaner would want to be able to make it the right ratio so that it would work the best. People would save money and be living a healthier life.
This experiment could be upgraded and made more in depth. The experiment could be done by comparing the cleaning effectiveness of the best homemade cleaner and the cleaning effectiveness of store bought cleaners. The chemicals could be filtered out of the store bought cleaners and measured to figure out if the chemical amount and if it effects the cleaning effectiveness. The experiment done was the beginning of what could be a more in-depth project.
The bigger the ratio of soap to vinegar the better the cleaning effectiveness. Smaller ratios of soap to vinegar don't have a very good cleaning effectiveness.
This experiment would be very helpful to certain people. People that want to live more healthy and protect, their children and their pets. Most store bought cleaners have harmful chemicals in them and most people want to use healthier homemade products. Homemade cleaners make for a happy and healthy home.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

Store bought cleaners can be dangerous since most of them contain harmful chemicals. Finding out the best soap and vinegar cleaner would help home owners that need to take care of their home and the people in it. Real scientists could take this cleaner further and create the best homemade cleaner. Creating the best homemade cleaner would be a great creation in the science world and earn a lot of money from it. By using all earth friendly materials in the future maybe all harmful chemicals would not be used anymore.

Background Research

The average home contains up to 25 gallons of toxic chemicals. Most of the chemicals are in store bought cleaners. The chemicals can aggravate allergies, poison pets,and hurt the environment. Bleach is a chemical that irritates allergies, asthma symptoms, and can endanger pets if they inhale the fumes or accidentally drink it instead of water. If bleach is accidentally mixed with ammonia it makes a poisonous gas. phosphates aren't dangerous to your health, but they are dangerous to the environment. Phosphates are found in most dishwasher and laundry detergents, and many all-purpose cleaners. Phosphates contribute to a lack of oxygen for fish and aquatic life. They also endanger fragile ecosystems.
Making your own cleaners helps to save the environment. Instead of buying new plastic containers each time you buy detergent or bleach or any kind of cleaner, you can reuse old plastic, covered containers. That way you are helping the Earth by recycling. Making your own cleaners is also safer than buying them. Instead of having harmful chemicals in the cleaner, all of the ingredients are eco-friendly.That makes the cleaner safe to use around children and pets. Homemade cleaners are also less expensive.
In conclusion, making your own cleaners is safer and healthier than buying them. Instead of harmful chemicals eco-friendly ingredients are used. It is safer for adults, children, pets and the environment. Toxic chemicals should not be use din a home unless totally necessary. In this case you have a choice.

References

"BrightNest's Mission Is to Make Homeowners Happy." BrightNest. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
"Healthy Cleaning - Why Are Your Usual Cleaning Products Dangerous?" Healthy Cleaning - Why Are Your Usual Cleaning Products Dangerous? N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.
"Clean Green Granny." : THOSE STORE BOUGHT CLEANING CHEMICALS REALLY DON'T DO MUCH HARM . . .YEAH RIGHT! N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013.

Abstract

Does the ratio of soap to vinegar effect the cleaning effectiveness? The smaller the ratio of soap to vinegar the more effective it is. The smaller the ratio the more concentrated the ingredients are. Three different ratios of soap to vinegar were used to clean three different stains on a large white t-shirt. The largest ratio of soap to vinegar had the highest mean cleaning effectiveness of 2.6. The smallest and the second smallest had the same mean cleaning effectiveness of 2. The bigger the ratio of soap vinegar the more cleaning effectiveness.
The experiment went exactly as planned, nothing went wrong. First the different ratios of soap to vinegar were made. Then nine rectangles were traced onto a large white t-shirt. After the nine rectangles were stained with three different stains. The stains were cleaned with the different ratios of soap to vinegar, and the cleaning effectiveness was graphed using a rubric. The experiment is useful to people who don't want to have harmful chemicals in their home.